Client: Balfour Beatty
Location: Teesworks
Transport Partner: Coatham Coaches (part of The Coach Travel Group)
Teesworks is the UK’s largest industrial regeneration project, transforming the former Redcar steelworks site on Teesside into a major centre for advanced manufacturing, clean energy, and heavy industry. The development spans approximately 4,500 acres, creating a nationally significant hub for offshore wind manufacturing, carbon capture infrastructure, hydrogen production, and large-scale industrial investment.
As a key delivery partner, Balfour Beatty is responsible for delivering critical infrastructure works across the site, including large-scale earthworks, remediation, utilities installation, and enabling works to prepare plots for new industrial occupiers. These activities take place within a highly regulated construction and heavy-industrial environment, requiring carefully coordinated logistics and workforce management to maintain safe and efficient operations.
Given the scale of the site and the restricted access to active construction zones, a reliable staff transport system is essential to move hundreds of workers safely between designated parking areas and operational work zones each day.
Transport Solution
To support these operations, Coatham Coaches, part of The Coach Travel Group, provides a dedicated workforce shuttle service for construction personnel working across the Teesworks in support of Balfour Beatty.
The service currently operates on a continuous loop between designated off-site staff parking locations and active construction areas, ensuring safe and efficient workforce movement throughout the working day.
Service Overview
- Continuous shuttle operation for day and back shift operations 05:30 – 18:00 and 14:00 - 02:00, Monday to Friday
- Transport between staff car parks and controlled construction zones
- High-capacity coaches to accommodate peak workforce volumes
- Flexible vehicle allocation aligned with changing shift patterns
- Fully licensed and professionally trained drivers experienced in industrial site operations
As the Teesworks development continues to expand, the workforce requirements are increasing significantly. In response, the shuttle operation is transitioning towards a 24-hour service model, supporting extended construction activity and multiple shift patterns as the site moves into later phases of development.
This planned expansion demonstrates the scalability of the transport solution, ensuring that workforce mobility continues to support round-the-clock construction operations while maintaining the same high standards of safety, reliability, and operational coordination.
Operational Challenges
Operating transport services within a large-scale industrial redevelopment presents several logistical and operational challenges:
1. Dynamic Workforce Demand
The Teesworks project involves multiple contractors and work packages, meaning workforce numbers can fluctuate significantly as construction phases progress.
2. Safety-Critical Environment
Transport operations must align with strict construction safety standards, including controlled access routes, designated drop-off points, and clear segregation between plant, construction vehicles, and staff transport.
3. Time-Critical Shift Movements
Construction teams operate to tightly scheduled shift start times, meaning punctual and reliable transport is essential to avoid operational delays.
Our Approach
Coatham Coaches works in close partnership with Balfour Beatty site teams to deliver a flexible, safety-led transport solution that adapts to the evolving needs of the project.
Dynamic Service Planning
Vehicle allocation and service frequency are continuously reviewed in collaboration with the Balfour Beatty logistics team. As workforce numbers grow or shift patterns change, additional vehicles can be deployed to maintain efficient staff flow and minimise waiting times.
Safety-First Operations
Drivers receive site-specific briefings and operate in accordance with Balfour Beatty’s construction site protocols, ensuring compliance with all traffic management plans and health and safety procedures.
Reliable Workforce Movement
By providing frequent shuttle loops throughout the working day, the service ensures that construction personnel can move safely and efficiently between parking facilities and operational areas without disrupting site logistics.
Integrated Communication
Regular communication between transport coordinators and site management ensures the service can respond quickly to:
- changes in workforce numbers
- modified shift patterns
- temporary route changes due to construction activity
Outcomes and Benefits
The Teesworks shuttle operation delivers several key benefits to the project:
Improved Site Safety
Reducing private vehicle movements within construction zones lowers traffic risks and improves pedestrian safety.
Operational Efficiency
Reliable staff transport ensures workers arrive on-site on time, supporting productivity and maintaining construction schedules.
Scalable Logistics Support
The flexible shuttle system adapts as the project develops, ensuring transport capacity keeps pace with workforce growth.
Reduced Congestion and Environmental Impact
Consolidating workforce transport into high-capacity coaches helps reduce vehicle numbers across the wider site area.
Summary
The Teesworks regeneration programme represents one of the UK’s most ambitious industrial redevelopment projects. Through its partnership with Balfour Beatty, Coatham Coaches plays a vital role in supporting daily construction operations by delivering a safe, reliable, and scalable staff transport solution.
By combining operational flexibility, experienced drivers, and close coordination with site management teams, the service helps ensure the efficient movement of personnel across one of the UK’s most complex construction environments.
David Crabtree
Industrial Relations Manager, Balfour Beatty
